Disney Imagineers said to be working on a ‘Tron Legacy’ ride

by Leigh Caldwell on

The next Disney movie to get a ride at Disneyland may be more futuristic than fairytale. The blog Blue Sky Disney is reporting that Disney Imagineers have been given the green light to develop a ride treatment for the upcoming movie “Tron Legacy.”

Disney Parks have gone a little Tron crazy this fall, with a Tron-wrapped monorail at Walt Disney World and a nighttime elecTRONica party at Disney’s California Adventure.

Last week, Disney added a new “Tron Legacy” scene to the World of Color show at Disney’s California Adventure, the first addition to the show since it premiered earlier this year.

Slashfilm is giving further credibility to the rumors, reporting that Disney Imagineers – the folks that design Disney’s rides and attractions – visited the Tron movie set in Toronto to study the sets, props and concept art being used on the film.

So, while Walt Disney World adds princess castles and The Little Mermaid ride during its Fantasyland expansion, Disneyland may be looking to Tomorrowland for the next big changes at the California theme park.

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Share your favorite holiday sweets and win a Homewood Suites stay!

by Scott Carmichael on

Can you believe that Christmas is a mere 47 days away? Seeing holiday cookies and other festive items in stores suddenly doesn’t seem so odd anymore.

The Homewood Suites “Sweets for a Suite” contest is all about holiday sweets – and by sharing your favorites, you can enter to win a two night stay at the Homewood Suites property of your choice.

Entering is simple – all you need is a Facebook and Twitter account. Once you’ve followed Homewood Suites, you simply tweet telling them what your favorite holiday treat recipe is.

Rules, ways to enter and other fine print can be found at the contest site over at Suitetrip.com. Of course, once you enter the contest, the best part is following the Sweets for a Suite Twitter hashtag to learn recipes by other contestants.

Right now, I’m learning how to make pecan tassies and peanut butter fudge. The holiday season can’t come soon enough!

Good luck entering the contest!

Google spreads holiday cheer with complimentary Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi

by Scott Carmichael on

Once again, Google is giving away some really nice holiday presents this season. Last year, the search giant provided free Wi-Fi at airports around the nation, and this year they are bringing their generosity to the skies by offering complimentary Wi-Fi on flight aboard AirTran, Delta and Virgin America flights. These three airlines have outfitted their entire fleet with Wi-Fi, powered by Gogo Inflight.

The promotion starts On November 20, and lasts till January 2 – which means flying during the holiday season won’t be that bad this year. Google is using the promotion to create some buzz for their Chrome Browser. If you haven’t tried Chrome, I can highly recommend taking it for a spin.

You can connect to Gogo Inflight using your Wi-Fi enabled laptop, PDA, smartphone or tablet – and you’ll enjoy broadband speeds as soon as the captain says you can safely use your device.

If you are flying one of the Gogo Inflight enabled airlines not included in the promotion, you can still get online – and prices start at just $4.95 for flights under and hour and a half. For the entire overview of pricing options, head on over to Gogo Inflight.

For more on the promotion, head on over to freeholidaywifi.com.

National parks free for Veterans Day

by Kraig Becker on

The National Park Service will host its final fee free day for 2010 this Thursday, November 11th, in honor of Veterans Day, allowing travelers to experience more than 100 parks that generally charge admission at no cost. For a complete list of those parks, grouped by state, click here.

A number of the parks will host special ceremonies or commemorative events to honor America’s veterans, including Valley Forge, the birthplace of America’s army, which will hold a moment of silence and a wreath laying-ceremony at 11AM near the National Memorial Arch. There will also be living history interpreters near the Muhlenberg Brigade huts throughout the day who will share insights and thoughts on the history of the place. Meanwhile, visitors to Morristown Historical National Park, located in New Jersey, can enjoy a new trail that is 27 miles in length and wanders through George Washington’s historic army encampment.

The Park Service’s fee free days have been quite a hit with travelers over the past couple of years, drawing visitors in by the thousands, and helping to set new attendance records across the system. It seems they’re planning on continuing the practice in 2011 as well, as they have already announced that entry to the parks will be free from April 16-24 to celebrate National Parks Week, and again on September 24 for Public Lands Day and November 11 for Veterans Day. More dates are expected to be announced soon.

Additionally, a number of the parks’ partners will also be offering special discounts, prizes, and other deals to visitors on Veterans Day. Click here to view a sampling of those special offers.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

Man caught with drugs tied to his genitals faces five years in jail

by Scott Carmichael on

A passenger trying to get through the security checkpoint at Glacier Park airport in Montana was arrested when TSA staff caught him trying to transport ten grams of hashish.

The drugs were found during a pat down and were tied to a genital piercing. The local County Attorney has filed charges of possession of a dangerous drug, and now the 39 year old suspect faces up to five years in state prison and a $50,000 fine. He’s currently locked up with bail set at $30,000.

According to Google, an ounce of hashish retails for between $100 and $200, so the catch is worth considerably more than someone caught with a few grams of marijuana.

The last time TSA staff at Glacier Park airport apprehended a passenger carrying drugs was back in 2004.

I’m guessing the TSA supporters will use this as evidence that the new stricter pat-downs are effective at finding contraband. So, next time you face a secondary search, make you don’t have anything strapped to your genitals.

[Photo from Flickr/striatic]